Couple tells PCSO rape occurred 'hundreds of times'Autumn R. Wilkins, 24, clenched her fists on the table as Pope County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) Investigator Chris Ridenhour told District Judge Don Bourne that Wilkins and her husband, Christopher A. Wilkins, 39, admitted during an interview that they had raped a juvenile female multiple times when the girl was between the ages of 12 and 14. Wilkins and her husband, who had eight visitors during felony bond hearings on Wednesday inside the Pope...

Convicted sex offender accused of molesting minorsPaul L. Myers, 41, shook his head and scoffed as he listened to Pope County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Chris Ridenhour testify that Myers had raped two underage females and threatened them with a knife. Ridenhour also told District Judge Don Bourne on another occasion, Myers had taken photographs of two other minors and held their heads in a “bleach or soap” solution when the children discovered him. After hearing testimony, Bourne determin...

Dover Housing Authority board amends ACOThe Dover Housing Authority Board of Commissioners met Thursday in its regular monthly meeting and approved a revision of the facility’s Admissions and Continued Occupancy (ACO) in order to conform to federal regulations, a step Executive Director Metta Holman said was long overdue. Holman said she had discussed the proposed changes with residents. Most changes which would affect residents had to do with leveling facility charges. She gave the...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Pair attacks man with baseball batsSteven B. Lampkin, 18, and William G. Jackson, 21, appeared in felony bond hearings with District Judge Don Bourne on Monday inside the Pope County Detention center facing charges of second degree battery after an incident involving a baseball bat. Lampkin and Jackson were arrested on Saturday after Russellville Police officers were dispatched to Motel 6 in reference to a physical disturbance. Once on scene, the victim stated he was attacked b...

Officers recognized during National Police Week2016 has already seen line of duty deaths of 35 officers according to the The Officer Down Memorial Page. The men and women of law enforcement are not only America’s peace keepers; they are fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and friends. For those who died and those living, this is a week dedicated to honoring their sacrifice and remembering the surviving families of the fallen. The week of May 15-21 will bri...

Man charged with sexual indecency with childDANVILLE — The prosecuting attorney for the 15th Judicial District filed sexual felony charges against a Havana man who was a janitor with the Dardanelle School District. Tom Tatum II charged Matthew Allen Marcellus, 32, with sexual indecency of a child after Marcellus was arrested last month by Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey. Authorities had followed up on reports that Marcellus had sent inappropriate images of himself to minor children at t...

PCEC plans to lend 4-H election gearPhil Sims, representing the 4-H state office at the district level for the Ozark District 4-H O’ Rama, recently asked the Pope County Election Commission for its help during their Wednesday’s commissioners meeting. Sims, who is also the 4-H Pope County staff chair, explained the Ozark District 4-H O’ Rama encompasses 25 counties and is scheduled to elect a new vice-president on June 15 at Arkansas Tech University. According to Sims, because th...

Hector School Board mulls bumping up first payrollHECTOR — The Hector School Board began its regular meeting Monday with a facilities and grounds tour to observe areas in need of drainage work and repairs needed in the middle school building. The tour was completed only moments before torrential rains entered the area. Denice Alvis of the faculty Personnel Policy Committee presented a proposal that the district’s first monthly payroll of the school year be issued on August 20 rather than wait...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Residents can access tremendous resourceA lot of Russellville residents don’t know all that goes on behind the doors at Public Works. Sure, when it rains hard and a part of the city floods, call Public Works. If a traffic light goes out, call Public Works. When a city-owned vehicle breaks down, call Public Works. There is also the Public Works GIS (Geographical Information System) department, directed by Duke Trimble. A former employee at City Corporation, the city’s water and sewer...

Cove Landing majority against annexationEven though 26 people attended Thursday’s informational and fact-finding meeting about the possibility of Cove Landing being annexed by the city of Russellville, nearly every resident made it a point that they were opposed to any talk of annexation at City Hall. Alderman and former Mayor Bill Eaton made sure the one-hour meeting didn’t get out of hand. When Cove Landing board member Jane Witherell asked for a show of hands of who was for annex...

Annual Picklefest scheduled to return May 20-21ATKINS — The 25th annual Pickle Fest will take place in downtown Atkins next Friday and Saturday, May 20-21. As many as 5,000 people are expected for family fun and free pickles. "We will have a tasting booth where people can sample a variety of pickles for free," said Erin Horn, president of People for a Better Atkins (PBA). The festival is sponsored by PBA and will include food, craft and information booths, a quilt show, a petting zoo and a...

Former sanitation head gets probationDANVILLE — The former manager of the Yell County Sanitation Department arrested last July by Yell County Sheriff’s investigators pleaded no contest Monday and was sentenced to probation and had to pay at least $55,000 by a special prosecutor. Lance Wilkins of Danville pleaded no contest to felony charges of theft of property (Class B), abuse of office (Class B) and tampering with public records (Class D). According to Tom Tatum II, 15th Judici...

Moore charged with first-degree murderDANVILLE — The prosecuting attorney for the 15th Judicial District formally charged a Rover man with first-degree murder following a Yell County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) investigation into the death of Sara Moore, 25. Jeremy Moore, 28, had bond set at $1 million on March 29 in Yell County Circuit Court following the death of his wife on River Road near Rover. According to Sheriff Bill Gilkey and Chief Deputy John Foster, deputies were called to...

First Founder’s Day at Potts Inn MuseumPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville Junior High School history club members, grades seventh through ninth, presented Founder’s Day, a living history tour, at the Potts Inn Museum on Friday. Tina Taylor, a teacher of 15 years at Pottsville and in charge of the living history tour, said it started around 1990 with Pam Duvall, but this is the first year they called it Founders Day and included portrayals of the Potts children. Taylor said students prepar...

Depot Park Dedication set for FridayThe dedication of Depot Park will begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday in downtown Russellville. The celebration will begin with a cookout followed by a presentation of awards from Main Street Arkansas. Depot Park is a part of the Russellville Depot and the surrounding area — referred to as the Depot District. Betsy McGuire, Main Street Russellville executive director, said she wasn’t sure exactly where the Depot District got its name but hopes it will ...

Atkins City Council adopts ordinancesATKINS — The Atkins City Council adopted Ordinances 2016-02 and 2016-03 during its regular meeting Tuesday night at City Hall. The first ordinance rezoned property located at Lot 4, Block D, Reynolds Addition from R-2 to C-2. The second amended a previous ordinance and clarified when the mayor, aldermen and city employees do business or special work for the city less than $5,000. Mayor Jerry Don Barrett said the ordinance was suggested after a...

Thefts lead to felony arrestsTammy J. Reynolds, 38, didn’t think the prosecuting attorney’s suggested bond amount of $25,000 was fair. Reynolds, who appeared in felony bond hearings Wednesday with District Judge Don Bourne, alongside Robert E. Lackey, 36, allegedly stole several credit cards, broke into a garage to steal tools and took a purse from a Jeep parked outside Burger King. “I think it should be lower,” she told the judge. “We are trying to do right, but society ...